Vehicle lift

ABSTRACT

For elevating three-wheeled scooters and similar vehicles above floor levels to a convenient height for servicing, a lift is provided with three wheel runways which are slidable toward and away from one another. A wheel chock of unique design is described for appropriate positioning of a three-wheeled vehicle on the lift.

United States Ptent Hott 1 1 Jan. 30, 1973 54] VEHICLE LIFT 2.199524 5/1940 Kroll ..187/8.52 2,602,633 7/1952 Reed v....l87/8.67 1 lnvemo" Dayton/01110 3,055,454 9/1962 Durst? ..l87/8.67

73 Assi nee: The 0 ce-C 'dland C a D 1 g ton Omp ay FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 771,197 3/1957 Great Britain ..l87/8.74 [22] Sept 1968 678,668 7 1939 Germany ..l87/8.67 [21] Appl.No.: 759,190

Primary Examiner-Harvey C. Hornsby 521 U.S. c1. ..1s7/s.41, 187/852, l87/8.67 Dybv'g [51] Int. Cl. ..B66f 7/00 R [58] Field of Search ...1 87/8.4l, 8.52, 8.67; 280/402; [57] ABST ACT 296/1 A For elevating three-wheeled scooters and similar vehicles above floor levels to a convenient height for ser- [56] References Cited vicing. a lift is provided with three wheel runways which are slidable toward and away from one another. "UNITED STATES PATENTS A wheel Check of unique design is described for ap- 1869 283 .m932 Stukenborg 187/8 74 propriate positioning of a three-wheeled vehicle on 2,736,104 2/1956 Sherman the l,926,368 9/1933 Bristol ..l 87/8.67 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 .32 22 48/6 N 1 2/ i 1 1 I 1-" 1 "/W i g 501 E; /V32 I W 1 J 54 30 40 go f\ 5 54 F I 1 1 a) 1 )1 1 5:1 250 5241 1 s------- 9 1 17/ 1 4 I6 J3 3 34 26 1 m 1 i 28 i 40 2. l 56 i 1;; 38 5 I; o lo 3'0 6 VEHICLE LIFT This invention relates to a lift for a three-wheeled vehicle.

To my knowledge no lift has been made available which is especially adapted to elevate three-wheeled vehicles to a position above a floor for convenience in servicing. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a lift especially adapted to elevate threewheeled vehicles such as scooters which is of a simple and inexpensive construction yet rugged and durable.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lift for a three-wheeled vehicle capable of lifting vehicles having different track widths.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a drive-on lift for a three-wheeled vehicle which in use leaves the major portion of the vehicle exposed on all sides as well as above and below.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved sliding wheel chock for a vehicle lift which is of a simple construction yet reliable in operation.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle lift made in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the lift of FIG. 1 with parts broken away;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross sectional view of a wheel runway and showing a wheel chock in side elevation as viewed in the direction of arrows 33 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which a vehicle is supported by the lift of this invention.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, a drive-on lift in accordance with this invention is generally designated and includes a vertically movable lift piston or plunger 12 which forms part of a conventional hydraulic or semi-hydraulic jacking unit or other vertically movable lift member of the type which normally would be located in a floor pit. Mounted on top of the plunger 12 as by bolts 14 is a lift superstructure including a rectangular lift bolster 16 having opposite, parallel, longer front and rear edges or sides 18 and shorter, parallel, opposite ends or sides 20. As conventional in other vehicle lifts, the bolts 14 are recessed in the bolster 16.

The superstructure of the lift 10 further includes three identical, elongate wheel runways 22, 24 and 26. The runways may each be formed of a unitary channel member having a longitudinally extending web plate portion 28 which forms a wheel trackway and opposite, longitudinally extending upright side plates 30. As shown in FIG. 3, and as usual in the construction of channel members, the side plates 30 have a generally wedge-shaped transverse cross section, with vertical outside surfaces, designated 30a, and inside surfaces, designated 30b, which are inclined upwardly and outwardly. The major portion of the length of each of the trackways 28 is coplanar and horizontal, whereas the extreme forward and rearward ends of the trackways 28 slope downwardly, as indicated at 32, to provide wheel ramps. For this purpose, the extreme outermost and lowermost ends of the ramps 32 should be the lowest part of the lift superstructure. The side plates 30 are bent or flared arcuately outwardly at the ramp ends, as indicated at 34, to assist in centering or guiding vehicle wheels approaching the ramps 32 onto the trackways 28.

The wheel runways 22 and 26 can conveniently be termed right and left side runways and the wheel runway 24 can be termed the center runway, because the various runways are laterally spaced, and as illustrated in FIG. 4, are intended to support the laterally spaced right and left side wheels of a vehicle designated V herein, whereas the center runway 24 is intended to support the center wheel of the vehicle V. Because the track widths of three-wheeled vehicles are not identical, at least the two side runways 22 and 26 are slidably mounted on the bolster 16 for lateral movement therealong. For this purpose, L-shaped brackets 36 and 38 are mounted in confronting relation on the underside of each of the runways 22, 24 and 26 as by screws 40 which project through pairs of countersunk holes in the web plate portions 28. The pairs of holes are spaced apart by a distance slightly exceeding the separation of the sides or edges 18. As best seen in FIG. 2, the L- shaped brackets 36 and 38 define channels for receiving and straddling the top and bottom surfaces of the bolster 16 along the longer sides 18 thereof. By virtue of this construction, the runways 22 and 26 can be moved toward and away from one another and relative to the center runway 24. The center runway 24 is conveniently slidably mounted on the bolster 16 in the same manner as by L-shaped brackets 42 and 44 connected to the runway 24 by screws 46. To prevent accidental sliding of the runways off the bolster 16, a pair of stop pins 48 are located one adjacent each of the shorter ends 20 of the bolster 16. The stop pins 48 may comprise removable spring roll pins located in apertures in the bolster 16.

The countersunk holes for receiving the screws 40 and 46 are spaced remotely from the adjacent ends of the runways and sufficiently close to the center of the runways that the runways can adequately support the weight of a vehicle thereon without undue strain on the bolster 16. It will be observed that the center runway 24 may be constructed identically to the side runways 22 and 26 but, prior to assembly on the bolster 16, the runway 24 has been rotated through whereupon it projects further forwardly from the front side 18 of the bolster 16 whereas the side runways 22 and 26 project further rearwardly from the rear side 18 of the bolster 16. Desirably, approximately two-thirds of the length of each runway should project beyond one of the bolster edges 18. Because of this construction, a vehicle such as the vehicle V will normally be driven on the lift 10 and located with its center of gravity directly over or nearly over the lift piston or plunger 12.

In some installations it may be desired to conserve the floor space taken up by the lift 10. Accordingly, an

additional pair of countersunk holes 50 are located substantially at the longitudinal midpoint of the web plates 28 of each wheel runway. The runways 22, 24 and 26 can be removed from the bolster 16 after removing one or both of the stop pins 48 and, by changing the location of the brackets 36 and 42, the runways can be repositioned more centrally upon the bolster 16 with still more than half of the center runway 24 projecting forwardly from the bolster l6 and more than half the side runways 22 and 26 extending rearwardly from the bolster 16. The changed positions of the runways is suggested by the phantom lines 22a, 24a and 26a in FIG. 1.

Most three-wheeled vehicles have two rear wheels and a single front wheel but some three-wheeled vehicles have a single rear wheel and two front wheels. Each of the runways is mounted with its ramp portion 32 projecting beyond the front and rear edges 18 of the bolster 16 and, accordingly, it can be appreciated that the lift can be used to elevate either type of vehicle. Also, it should be apparent that the major portion of the underside of an elevated vehicle is exposed when the wheel runways 22, 24 and 26 are positioned as shown in full lines in FIG. 1.

To assist in positioning a vehicle on the lift 10, a slidable wheel chock 52 is removably mounted upon one of the runways, usually the center wheel runway 24. The wheel chock 52 comprises an inverted, channel-shaped body member having a planar top web or plate 54 and depending, mutually parallel side plates 56. The side plates 56 are shorter than the web plate 54 and terminate short of the left side of the web plate 54 as viewed in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the chock 52 does not engage the adjacent side plate 30 of the runway 24. The right side plate 30 of the runway 24, as viewed in FIG. 3, is straddled by aligned, wedge-shaped notches 58 in the chock side plates 56. The notches 58, only one of which is shown in FIG. 3, have vertical, coplanar right side edges 60 and inclined, generally vertical and coplanar left side edges 62 which are parallel to the confronting inside face 30b of the right side plate 30 of the wheel runway 24. Accordingly, the chock 52 can be loosely nested on and supported by the right side plate 30 of FIG. 3. When the center wheel of a vehicle rolls along the trackway of the wheel runway 24, it tends to ride over the front upper edge of the wheel chock 52, thereby causing the chock 52 to pivot slightly about a transverse, horizontal axis. At the same time, the vehicle wheel exerts a downward force causing one or both of the notches 58 to be wedged tightly against the right side plate 30, thus positively and reliably preventing further movement of the vehicle center wheel along the wheel runway 24. Even if there were some accidental sliding of the wheel chock 52 along the runway 24, the wheel chock 52 will ultimately bear against the flared portions 34 of the right side plate 30 (as viewed in FIG. 3) which would prevent further sliding movement thereof.

The dimensions of the lift 10 are not critical. To give a better understanding of the invention, the bolster 16 may have a depth between the front and rear sides or edges 18 of 10 inches and a width between the ends of 42 inches. The spacing between the pairs of screw receiving holes for mounting the channel defining brackets can be 10% inches and the overall length of the runways 22, 24 and 26 may be 52 inches of which, in the full line positions thereof illustrated in FIG. 1, 35 inches project beyond one of the front and rear edges 18. The longer, intermediate portions of the runways may have a width of 5% inches, flaring outwardly at 34 to approximately 7 inches. The ramps 32 may usefully be approximately 6 inches.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A vehicle lift for a three-wheeled vehicle comprising a vertically movable lift member, a bolster connected to said lift member for movement therewith, and three elongate wheel runways mounted in substantiall mutually parallel relation on said bolster, the cen er one of said runways pro ecting further forwardly from said bolster than the others of said runways and said others of said runways projecting further rearwardly from said bolster than said center one of said runways.

2. The vehicle lift of claim 1 wherein approximately two-thirds of the length of said center one of said runways projects forwardly of said bolster and approximately two-thirds of the length of both of said others of said runways projects rearwardly from said bolster.

3. The vehicle lift of claim 1 wherein each of said runways is identically constructed.

4. The vehicle lift of claim 1 wherein said wheel runways are mounted for sliding movement on said bolster by connecting means including means located between the center and one end of each of said runways.

5. The vehicle lift of claim 1 wherein both ends of each of said runways slope downwardly to form ramps.

6. The vehicle lift of claim 1 wherein said bolster comprises a plate having straight, parallel front and rear sides, and said lift further includes means slidably mounting said wheel runways on said bolster including spaced channel defining means depending transversely beneath said runways and defining channels for receiving said front and rear sides of said bolster.

7. A superstructure for a vehicle lift comprising a bolster and three laterally spaced elongate wheel runways slidably mounted on said bolster for relative movement toward one another, the center one of said three wheel runways projecting further from one side of said bolster than the others of said runways and said others of said runways projecting further on the opposite side of said bolster than said center runway. 

1. A vehicle lift for a three-wheeled vehicle comprising a vertically movable lift member, a bolster connected to said lift member for movement therewith, and three elongate wheel runways mounted in substantially mutually parallel relation on said bolster, the center one of said runways projecting further forwardly from said bolster than the others of said runways and said others of said runways projecting further rearwardly from said bolster than said center one of said runways.
 1. A vehicle lift for a three-wheeled vehicle comprising a vertically movable lift member, a bolster connected to said lift member for movement therewith, and three elongate wheel runways mounted in substantially mutually parallel relation on said bolster, the center one of said runways projecting further forwardly from said bolster than the others of said runways and said others of said runways projecting further rearwardly from said bolster than said center one of said runways.
 2. The vehicle lift of claim 1 wherein approximately two-thirds of the length of said center one of said runways projects forwardly of said bolster and approximately two-thirds of the length of both of said others of said runways projects rearwardly from said bolster.
 3. The vehicle lift of claim 1 wherein each of said runways is identically constructed.
 4. The vehicle lift of claim 1 wherein said wheel runways are mounted for sliding movement on said bolster by connecting means including means located between the center and one end oF each of said runways.
 5. The vehicle lift of claim 1 wherein both ends of each of said runways slope downwardly to form ramps.
 6. The vehicle lift of claim 1 wherein said bolster comprises a plate having straight, parallel front and rear sides, and said lift further includes means slidably mounting said wheel runways on said bolster including spaced channel defining means depending transversely beneath said runways and defining channels for receiving said front and rear sides of said bolster. 